Kendujhar: A special POCSO court in Kendujhar district on Saturday sentenced a coaching centre owner to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) for sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl student. The court also directed that the child be paid compensation of ₹10 lakh.
The verdict was delivered by the court of Additional District Judge-cum-Special Judge (POCSO) Monali Samanti, who found the accused, Gautam Mohanty, guilty of sexually assaulting the minor. Besides the prison term, the court imposed a fine of ₹2,000. In default of payment, the convict will have to undergo an additional one year of imprisonment.
According to Public Prosecutor Sanjay Kumar Paikray, the incident took place in August 2025 in the Harichandanpur area of Keonjhar district, where the accused operated a coaching centre. The victim was a student at the institute.
The offence came to light after the child’s family learned about the incident. A village meeting was reportedly held during which the accused was questioned and allegedly admitted to the offence. The family subsequently lodged a written complaint with Harichandanpur police, following which a case was registered and the accused was arrested.
During the trial, the prosecution examined 15 witnesses. After considering the oral testimony and documentary evidence placed before it, the court convicted the accused and pronounced the sentence on Saturday. In addition to the prison term, the court ordered that the victim receive ₹10 lakh as compensation.
